[nfbmi-talk] more detail on metro ada settlement

Sat Oct 18 21:33:03 UTC 2014

It isn't Michigan Flier per se whose rights are violated. It's people with 
disabilities. And by what I see with this so-called settlement nothing of 
substance including the shortest, most accessable path of travel for PWD has 
been resolved.

Moreover, where are the accommodations for people who are blnd including 
access to the video? Is it also going to announce arrivals audably of the 
Michigan Flier or what?
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "J.J. Meddaugh via nfbmi-talk" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
To: "David Robinson" <drob1946 at gmail.com>; "NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing 
List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, October 18, 2014 4:47 PM
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] more detail on metro ada settlement

Why be so synical though? If they make the changes necessary then it's a
positive outcome. Yes, they should have done the right thing in the
first place, but the end outcome is what will ultimately be remembered.
And knowing Michigan Flyer, if these changes aren't implemented as
promised, you can bet they'll call foul.

Best regards,
J.J.

On 10/17/2014 3:43 PM, David Robinson via nfbmi-talk wrote:
> Joe,
>
>  Sounds as if promises are being made by the airport that may or may not 
> come true.  Also, you must think that if they were so concerned about us, 
> then the changes would be made before the drop off was changed.  As soon 
> as the bad publicity goes away, so will the kind words and promises.  Its 
> all about money, not service.
>
> Dave
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "joe harcz Comcast via nfbmi-talk" 
> <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
> To: <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, October 17, 2014 3:18 PM
> Subject: [nfbmi-talk] more detail on metro ada settlement
>
>
> Just wonderring how long they will take to make the path of travel fully 
> ADA compliant, which it should have been to begin with!
>
> Joe
> Detroit Metro Airport, disability advocates settle suit
>
> Leonard N. Fleming, The Detroit News 1:26 p.m. EDT October 17, 2014
>
> Airport-DC-02.JPG
>
>
>
> Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus. (Photo: David Coates , The Detroit 
> News )
>
>
>
> Advocates for the disabled and elderly today settled a lawsuit against 
> Detroit Metropolitan Airport with an agreement to make it more convenient 
> for the
>
> disabled and the elderly to get to the terminal from public buses and 
> vans.
>
>
>
> The Wayne County Airport Authority has agreed to modify the Ground 
> Transportation Center with an indoor information counter for the service 
> providers, direct
>
> dial phones for passengers who need assistance, better signage and wider 
> lanes for buses.
>
>
>
> The agreement was announced in U.S. District Court in Detroit Friday 
> morning after days of negotiations. At issue was the airport’s decision 
> last month
>
> to no longer allow public transportation services to pick up and drop off 
> passengers at the McNamara Terminal.
>
>
>
> The plaintiffs in the lawsuit contended they would be forced to navigate 
> their way to the terminal from a long distance in inclement weather.
>
>
>
> The move prompted a flurry of protest letters and a call from Gov. Rick 
> Snyder for both sides to achieve an amicable outcome.
>
>
>
> In return for the improvements, the buses for Michigan Flyer-Air Ride 
> agree to continue operating out of the Ground Transportation Center. 
> Passengers who
>
> are disabled or elderly will have help getting to and from the 
> transportation center. That will be provided by either a representative of 
> the transit service
>
> or a contractor of Delta Airlines, the agreement states.
>
>
>
> Michael Harris, one of the two plaintiffs in the case who is involved with 
> the Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America, called it a “win-win for 
> everyone
>
> involved.”
>
>
>
> “We’re really getting what we wanted to get,” Harris said. “We’re getting 
> an airport that people will be able to access in a safe environment. I 
> believe
>
> it’s a win for (the airport) because the traveling public, able and 
> disabled, will have an enjoyable flying experience. Both sides were 
> willing to compromise
>
> and at the end of the day we have outcome that both sides can live with.”
>
>
>
> Airport officials, who had remained silent about the lawsuit, said they 
> are happy with the agreement.
>
>
>
> “We are pleased to work in a spirit of cooperation with representatives of 
> the plaintiffs, as well as Michigan Flyer, to reach a consensus we all 
> accept,”
>
> said airport authority CEO Thomas Naughton in a statement. “This is a 
> great example of reasonable people working together to create a safer and 
> more customer-friendly
>
> environment.”
>
>
>
> Jason Turkish, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the disability rights 
> community, said the airport was wrong in thinking that moving the drop-off 
> and pick-up
>
> sites to the transportation center promoted safety.
>
>
>
> Turkish said the biggest change is the presence of permanent staff in a 
> climate- controlled part of the airport to help monitor when people need 
> help to
>
> and from the public transportation buses.
>
>
>
> “This is going to allow disabled and non-disabled passengers alike to not 
> have to go wait outside for the bus,” he said. “They are going to be able 
> to stay
>
> in the comfort, convenience and safety of a climate controlled environment 
> until the time when the bus is going to arrive.”
>
>
>
> Although the walk is still 600 feet from the drop off location to the 
> terminal, the pathway that passengers will walk along will be completely 
> remodeled
>
> so it complies to Americans with Disabilities Act, Turkish said.
>
>
>
> Naughton, who along with other airport officials contended the move from 
> the increasingly congested McNamara Terminal was needed, was “always about 
> customer
>
> safety.”
>
>
>
> “We are comfortable that the GTC enhancements, to which we have all 
> agreed, maintain a safe environment for our customers,” he said.
>
>
>
> lfleming at detroitnews.com
>
>
>
> (313) 222-2620
>
> Source:
>
>
>
> http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2014/10/17/detroit-metro-airport-disability-advocates-lawssuit/17436855/
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